Experience with the “Lip – Bath” provides a good basis for follow-up projects.
With a Passive House indoor swimming pool, a few years ago the spa association Lünen broke new ground. Measurement data now demonstrate that courage has paid off: When energy consumption compared to other pools high savings were achieved – the heat demand as with electricity. The monitoring of the Passive House Institute also shows that during operation further optimizations are possible. The Pioneer Building in Westphalia, it’s making it an excellent foundation for future projects. In detail, the results can be found immediately in the online platform Passipedia.

Green building consultant, speaker & author, Jerry Yudelson has announced his annual list of major green building trends that will affect the industry in 2014 and beyond.

What are the major trends likely to affect the green building industry and markets in the US in 2014? As one of the world’s leading green building consultants, keynote speakers and authors, Jerry Yudelson thinks he knows the answers. In fact, his Top 10 list of green building megatrends has become an annual event.

At the top of Yudelson’s 2014 list is the prediction that Green building in North America will continue its strong growth in 2014, with the ongoing expansion of commercial real estate construction together with government, university, nonprofit and school construction. “Green building is the tsunami of the future that will inundate the entire real estate industry,” says Yudelson.

Popular media and political chatter are abuzz with a cacophony of energy news and opinion. Amid the chaos, some orderly strands can be discerned. Here are three themes that merit attention:

EFFICIENCY IS ACCELERATING

Government forecasts predict U.S. energy intensity (primary energy used per dollar of real GDP) will continue to decline roughly two percent annually through 2040, but that the drop will be steepest in automobiles.

Motivated in part by more stringent fuel economy standards coming down the pipeline, lightweighting—the core of the new “platform fitness” approach, which focuses on optimizing a vehicle’s structure first before addressing propulsion technology and fuel source—has been the industry’s hottest strategic trend for several years (see “Battling America’s Automotive Obesity Epidemic,” page 28).

Ground-breaking for ABG office building at the Frankfurt central station

No other company has built as many Passive Houses as the ABG Frankfurt Holding. Soon, the staff of this housing and real estate firm will also benefit from the advantages of the Standard: on Monday, ground was broken for the new company headquarters. The 12,400 square metres of office space will be located on prime property set between Frankfurt’s financial district and conference centre, adjacent to an eight storey apartment building, also in Passive House Standard. The complex, being executed by owner and project developer Groß & Partner, is set to be completed by the end of 2014.

High levels of energy efficiency are all the more important when it comes to high-rise buildings. For the first time ever, an office tower in Vienna has achieved the Passive House Standard. The certificate was presented by Susanne Theumer of the Passive House Institute on the 20th floor of the building with a prime view of the old city. The glazed facade of the building on the bank of the Donaukanal (“Danube Canal”) rises almost 80 metres high. The building, characterised by superior indoor air quality and minimal energy consumption, is home to 900 employees of the Austrian Raiffeisen-Holding Group.

Presentation of the certificate in the Danish port city of Esbjerg

Esbjerg/Darmstadt. The Danish regional energy company Syd Energi (SE) has inaugurated its new headquarters in the Danish port city of Esbjerg. One of the world’s largest Passive House buildings and an architectural highlight, this four-storey rotunda with a sea view not only meets the requirements of the Passive House Standard, but will also produce more energy than is required for the building’s mechanical systems. This 9000 square metre building will provide some 420 people with carbon neutral workplace. After a construction period of almost 18 months, the official inauguration of the building with presentation of the Passive House Certificate took place on Friday. The Danish Finance Minister, Bjarne Corydon, and the Mayor of Esbjerg, Johnny Sotrup, were also present and commended the exemplary character of this project.

Torbole/Innsbruck. Spending holidays in a Passive House is now also possible in the small town of Torbole at the edge of Lake Garda, where just in time for the summer holidays, a family enterprise has opened a hotel built according to the extremely energy efficient Passive House Standard. As typical for Passive House buildings, the rooms can be heated and cooled via the air filtered in through the incredibly silent ventilation system. With their increased level of sound proofing, triple-glazed windows provide for peaceful holidays and exceptional comfort.

A few weeks after the 1 May 2013 opening of the hotel, those involved in the project met in Torbole for the official awarding of the Passive House Certificate. “The building has been meticulously planned; all connections as well as the technology have been implemented in an exemplary way,” said Dr. Wolfgang Feist, Director of the Passive House Institute, after a tour through the new building.